Epiglottitis

Epiglottitis is inflammation and swelling of the epiglottis, which in most cases is caused by infection.

What is the epiglottis?

The epiglottis is a flap of tissue that is located towards the back of the throat and sits underneath the tongue. The main function of the epiglottis is close over the windpipe (the trachea) when you are eating food in order to prevent any food from passing down your windpipe and into your lungs.

Due to its close proximity to the windpipe, swelling of the epiglottis can potentially be very serious as it can restrict the supply of oxygen to the lungs (respiratory failure).

Therefore, epiglottitis should be regarded as a medical emergency. Left untreated, the symptoms of respiratory failure can rapidly worsen and may result in death; sometimes in the space of just a few hours.

How common is epiglottitis?

In the past, epiglottitis was a widespread infection among children between 2-7 years of age. This is because children of this age were particularly vulnerable to infection by the haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) bacteria, which was a leading cause of epiglottitis.

Cases of epiglottitis do still sometimes occur because bacteria other than type b Hib can also cause the condition, and the Hib vaccine is not always 100% effective (although it does have an impressive effectiveness rating of 99.4% in young children).

Adult epiglottitis usually affects men who are between 50-60 years of age. The reasons for this are uncertain.

Outlook

If prompt treatment is provided to assist with a person’s breathing, the outlook for epiglottitis is very good and almost all people will make a full recovery within a week. Deaths from epiglottitis are now very rare with only two deaths occurring during 2007.